Use the border of your land to grow a hedgerow that saves you money on groceries and benefits your health—and the environment's.

You don't have to go to the end of the rainbow to find treasure...just look around your native tree.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The borders of your lawn may be unnoticed spaces covered in turfgrass or weeds. But key points of a new program targeted to help farmers increase biodiversity while earning cash through better land management could also benefit everyday homeowners looking to create a sustainable landscape with native plants.

THE DETAILS: Rodale Inc., the nonprofit Rodale Institute, NewPage (the paper company that supplies Rodale magazines), and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy have teamed up for the Tree as a Crop partnership project that will help farmers earn more money by growing and harvesting timber, while also benefiting the environment. "Farmers currently have areas on the farm that are undermanaged. Existing fencerows or buffers between farms and fields are often brush and brambles," explains Jeff Moyer, farm manager at the Rodale Institute and chair of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board. "If you manage that land, plant trees, and harvest them responsibly, you can get an economic return." Planting native trees, which typically possess traits that help them resist disease and pests without needing chemical pesticides, will enhance the biodiversity of the farm, attracting beneficial insects and birds that will help take care of insect pest populations. Plus, trees take carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, out of the atmosphere.

WHAT IT MEANS: While growing and selling timber is mainly an option for farm owners, or homeowners with lots of land, some suburban or city dwellers can gain other benefits. The right native trees can yield healthy snacks and attract bird and wildlife. Planting a few trees along your yard's border will also help increase air quality in your neighborhood and put a small dent in atmospheric carbon dioxide.